How Virgil Abloh Can Help Louis Vuitton Regain Its Creative Spark

For decades, luxury fashion has revolved around exclusivity. Heritage European brands made beautifully crafted products in limited quantities, deliberately priced beyond what most people could afford. They were slow to include people of color in their runway shows and advertising spreads. Vuitton is no exception. Last year was the first time in its 163-year history that it opened a runway show with a black model, a moved that was widely interpreted as a sign of how backward the brand is when it comes to diversity. With an African-American man taking the helm, replacing Kim Jones, who has been with the brand since 2011, it’s almost inevitable that Abloh will help remake Vuitton. He’s a designer who has been equally game to create shoes for Jimmy Choo as he was to make uniforms for the Melting Passes , a Paris-based nonprofit soccer club made up primarily of illegal immigran...